NZ cannot afford to be complacent over quality water

While New Zealand may have abundant water
resources, the world is facing a tremendous water shortage
which is worsening with time.

With the world’s
population growing by about 80 million people a year, the
demand for freshwater increases at a staggering rate of 64
million cubic metres a year.

Access to safe water is as
important as its quantity, University of Canterbury (UC)
water expert and civil and natural resources engineer Dr
Ricardo Bello-Mendoza says.

``Protecting the quality of
New Zealand’s water is utterly important. This is a big
challenge that must be addressed through change in
attitudes.

``My research at UC aims to provide solutions
by developing innovative technology for more effective and
sustainable wastewater treatment. I am looking at how we can
remove contaminants from water and, at the same time,
recover nutrients or energy.

``I will look at what happens
to micro-pollutants, such as pharmaceuticals, during
wastewater treatment and what is the best way to re-use
treated wastewater without causing harm to our
environment.’’

Dr Bello-Mendoza says global
competition for water exists and there are increasing
reports of conflicts over water in many countries.

New
Zealand, on the other hand, has an abundance of high-quality
water. It is estimated that the internal renewable
freshwater resources per capita is more than 32,000 cubic
metres. This is extremely high compared to other regions in
the world, such as North Africa and South Asia, where the
availability of water is around 286 and 1125 cubic metres
per person, respectively.

``We cannot afford to be
complacent. There are often events of water scarcity in some
regions, like the West Coast.

``Global climate change
adds uncertainty and increased risk to the availability of
water resources over time as rain regimes change bringing
sometimes droughts and sometimes floods.

``Up to 75
percent of New Zealand freshwater is used in agriculture and
farming. As the production of food is being compromised by
the scarcity of water in many regions of the world, New
Zealand has an opportunity to sustain an increased
production of food products to supply that demand.

``However, we must be careful that enhanced primary
productivity does not come at a cost for our water
resources. Activities such as farming and mining can
respectively release nutrients and persistent pollutants and
contaminate the water bodies if appropriate measures are not
taken to prevent it.

``Even though New Zealand has
abundant water resources, exporting water is impractical and
expensive. We can, however, produce technology and know-how
to help alleviate the global problem of water
scarcity,’’ Dr Bello-Mendoza says.

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